Races
Playable Dwarves Political: Dwarves rule the vast dwarven empire. They mine the rich mines beneath the land, and are consequently immensely rich. They are at war with the Trolls, and are seeking to conquer the elf lands for the mines therein. Theirs is the law. Most races speak dwarven. People regard them as greedy. Culture: Dwarves value the beautiful things found in the earth, precious metals, and gems. They are very jealous of their treasures. Homes: they live under mountains, in vast halls carved out of rock. Their cities are vast and huge. Skills: Mining, Jewelry, Metallurgy. Size: Small (5') Famous For: rich kings Age: As old as the mountains Language: Dwarvish. Dwarf written language has no vowels, a runic alphabet very suitable for being carved in stone. eg., 'RGR' is pronounced Regger. The number of letters in a dwarf's name is an indication of status. Male names are almost always 3 letters, and females 1 or 2, eg 'G' for Gaia. The king of dwarves has four letters. Military: They wear armor, and favor axes and hammers made from the finest lightest hardest metals. Their patrols are all over the land. They are quite ready to fight to gain or keep the things they desire. Animals: They ride goats in battle. Magic: Little, tho they make some enchanted metals. Names: Dwarven names are runic, 3 letter combinations. Sex: Dwarves are quite chauvanistic, but the real power in dwarven society is money and treasure, so any woman who has money has to be taken seriously. Dwarven name indicate honor: Kings have 4 runes, men 3 and women most often have to make do with merely 2 Suggested Roles: Warrior, Priest Elves Political: In the middle of the land, is a forest called elfland. It is small compared to the dwarf kingdom, but they guard it determinedly against dwarven incursion with spell and bow. Homes: They live in trees and with trees. Culture: The elves are, by nature, a peaceful contemplative race. Elves will happily stare off into space for hours, lost in some philosophy. Other races regard them as aloof. They are deeply imaginative. They value beauty above all else. In elfin culture, trees are considered people. They are often very, very wise. Elves in their own kingdom are usually surrounded by tiny faery, who are their kin, tho faery rarely venture out of the elflands. Skills: Elves are famous for immensely intricate work, and works of great beauty. The finest works of art come from elves, as does much of the clothing. Their music is haunting and legendary. Elves delight in things which require tremendous attention to detail. Size: Faery are tiny, Elves are man-sized Famous For: elf maidens are considered the finest and most beautiful Age: Like trees, elves grow to be quite old. Language: Elfin, which they speak in deference to all. Elves will usually carry on conversing in elvish, even if others all speak dwarven for convenience. Military: They favor bows, rapiers and other weapons of high precision. Animals: They are friends of squirrels and birds. Magic: Elves have more magic than dwarves, it is usually to do with Nature. They are quite comfortable around magic, seeing it as part of the world they live in. Sex: Elves are quite enlightened, egalitarian between sexes Suggested Roles: Archer, Mage, Sword-dancer Men Political: Men are too few to be a political force within the lands. They are regarded as largely unimportant. Homes: Men live in camps and settlements in the south, west of the river. They are somewhat nomadic, tho there are one or two stable settlements. Culture: Men value courage and hard work. Tho largely unimportant, there have been some amazing heroes in the history of the land from the race of Men. Skills: Bravery, Hard work. Size: Normal Famous For: Heroes Age: They rarely live beyond 50 years Language: Men do have a language, but they usually speak dwarvish. Military: In defense, men use spears, swords and shields. Animals: They ride horses and use mules for pack and work. They also employ guard dogs and cats. Magic: Men have little magic, tho there have been wizards. Sex: Men are more chauvanistic, much as real humans were back in the middle-ages, not to say some women don't have power Suggested Roles: thief, warrior, wizard, priest Sumpf Political: They have no kingdom, but they dot the lands as merchants, traveling and selling wares. Folk consider them annoying, but infernally useful. Homes: They live in swamps. Culture: The sumpf are an exuberant happy race. They work hard for a good profit. They have vibrant senses of humor, and adore riddles and jokes. They are at home with deception, which seems a jolly game to them, and even danger does not dampen their spirits. They are a quite jolly lot. They love spiders and flowers. Skills: They are excellent merchants. If you want something, it is certain a sumpf can find it for you, and for a decent price. They also make the finest traps in the land. If something is guarded by sumpf, it is considered unreachable. Size: Small Famous For: mercantile skills, and jokes, the sumpf also operate an incredible !prison Age: Unknown Language: They have an odd comical language full of honks, tweets and clicks, but are often fluent in all languages. Military: Concealed weapons are a favorite of sumpf. Animals: They like ducks and frogs, and also spiders. Magic: They are a magical people, at home with all sorts of enchantment. Sumpf abroad will often be in possession of at least one if not more magical artefacts, which they put to good use. Sex: Fair equality, tho they do tend to regard their males as better merchants, travellers, etc. Suggested Roles: Merchant, Mercenary Kruge Political: They are too few. They are regarded as dangerous and violent. Culture: The kruge live for war, glory and honor above all else. They are born warriors. In their plains, they endlessly battle between their various clans. Homes: Tents on the plains in the battlegrounds, to the west. Nomadic. Skills: They are the most powerful warriors Size: Large (7-9') Famous For: various kruge warriors have dotted history, for they are valiant and powerful adversaries and bodyguards. Female Kruge have large attributes, a subject of much joke and admiration among the males of the land. Sex: Kruge value honor in battle alone, so the biggest baddest male is the most important. Female kruge are for mating, and traded/awarded to the fiercest nastiest warrior Age: Short-lived Language: Tribal. Certain kruge phrases are 'Tal Nat too!' which they cry at victory Military: They are the finest warriors. Animals: They worship tigers, wolves, bears and other mighty animals. Magic: They worship war-gods. Suggested Roles: Warrior, Shaman (rare) Sigesfur Political: There are not enough to be a political force. They have no kingdom. Mistrusted, for in ancient times they ate the young of other races. They now dot the coasts, and others contact them only when they need transportation on the water or guides. Most cultures do not even speak to sigesfur. Culture: Sigesfur culture is based upon lines between opposing things, night and day, male and female, good and evil. They favor the times of twilight and sunset, for example. They are quiet and mysterious, and mistrusted or feared by most races. Homes: They have villages on stilts at the mouths of rivers and coastlines. Skills: They make the finest boats, and are the best explorers and guides. They also possess much magic. Size: Human sized Famous For: eating children in ancient times Age: It is not known if they die, but die they must. Language: They have a sibilant language all their own, but are fluent in many tongues. Military: Fishermen, they use spears, nets, tridents and hooks. They also use the bolo. Animals: They ride turtles as mounts. Magic: A very magical race, their magic is chiefly aimed towards enchantment and information. Sex: Sigesfur consider both sexes totally equal, if not actually irrelevant Suggested Roles: Scout, Spell-slinger(warrior/mage), Shaman Himmel Political: They are part of the dwarf lands, tho it is said they have a floating city in the clouds. Homes: They live in the sky. Culture: Himmel adore formality and ritual. They are a religious people, and very concerned with status and monarchy. They work cheek by jowl among the more rough-edged dwarves, and it is a marriage of convenience. Most dwarfen cities are run by himmel administrators, and himmel priests dot the lands all over. Himmel adore and are fascinated by secrets, and covet and guard them like dwarves covet gold. People find himmel a bit irritating with their chapter-and-verse, and they tend to be puffy, and self-aggrandizing, pushing themselves to positions of importance. Himmel constantly grub for money, both by working hard and seeking promotion, to support their cloud city which is very expensive. Skills: The himmel alone understand the steam technology, and are masters of ritual and formality. Size: Himmel are tiny (3-4') Famous For: Their steam-technology, trains and ballons which are indispensible in the land. The himmel are also famous for a incredible festival of wonders which they give each year in the spring. Age: They don't live very long. Language: Himmel have a language, but mostly speak dwarvish, even among themselves, only lapsing into Himmel for matters of deep religious, or technical detail. Military: Guns, Cannons, Bombs. Animals: Birds, and cats, for cats can secrets. They cannot stand talking birds. Magic: Himmel usually employ steam tech, tho there are quite a few himmel priests. Himmel magic is deeply ritualized. Sex: Himmel have decent equality, but there is a pressure towards females as admin/religious and males towards engineering.. so there's still some sexism Suggested Roles: Engineer, Priest, Policeman Hoggle Political: They are loosely under the umbrella of the dwarves, with no army of their own. They provide most of the foods in the dwarfen kingdoms. Most consider them harmless, even comical. Their food is said to be the best. Culture: Hoggles love home and hearth, and prefer merrymaking and food to war and glory. Homes: Farms, in the hills to the north - Hogland. Skills: Farming, Cooking. Size: Small (3-4') Famous For: the game of !Portalkub, their fine foods and curried spices Age: They grow to be as old as the hills. Language: Hogglish, tho most speak dwarven all the time. Military: If forced to, they favor slingshots and catapults, but they prefer not to fight. Animals: They favor mice and rats as pets, and use racoons and other small animals in farming. Magic: They use some spices and poultices, but otherwise little understanding of magic. Sex: Hoggle are matriarchal: Home is most important to them, the mother/matriach is the seat of power Suggested Roles: Beast Master, Herbalist, Warrior, Healer Naraid Political: The sea is theirs, and none dare venture far there, for they fear the Naraid. Homes: It is said they have villages under the sea, but no one knows. Culture: They are a very mysterious people. Skills: They are powerful seers, and uses of magic. They have been known to restore life to the dead, for reasons of their own. Size: Human sized Famous For: Fortune-Telling, Magic Age: They are very old Language: Their language is unknown, but they address folk on land often in Sigesfurian. Military: Tho it is rare to hear of them in battle, when they attack boats they favor the use of deadly posions. Animals: Animals of the sea are their mounts, pets, and pack animals, particularly sea serpents Magic: The most powerful magic is at their command. The mightiest artefacts of the land are undoubtedly of naraid manufacture. Sex: Naraid females are often the most powerful Suggested Roles: None - not a race available to players. Trolls Political: They have no kingdom, except perhaps beneath the earth. They are hated by all races of the land, for they raid and kill all the folk above ground. The dwarves hunt them actively, and many wars are fought between dwarf and troll in the caves and mines below the earth. Culture: The trolls live in dirt. They hate and envy all the peoples who live above ground, and seek to take everything they have for their own. They have been heard to say they are the gods' unwanted children, or refer to themselves as wretched or damned. Homes: Warrens beneath the earth. Skills: They are excellent forgers of metal, and the finest metal work is always of troll make. Treachery is also said to be a troll skill, eg, â€œYou're as trustworthy as a troll.â€ Size: Medium to Large. There are half-trolls among them, much like men, the children of women taken long ago. Famous For: Pillaging and raiding all the land, metalwork. Age: They usually don't live a long time Language: A guttural tongue, Trollish. It is a rolling tongue, with long run-on sentences, eg 'grumbledunk fallolalorongledonklebeh arrglegrogul marglefaderonglban' Military: They wield anything, particularly weapons enchanted with trollfire (below.) Animals: They favor insects and bats. Magic: Trolls wield a special magic called trollfire, a clinging elemental fire which can be wrapped around swords or provide eerie light far below the surface. Sex: Trolls are a bit chauvanistic but not as bad as some other races, anyone who works hard can gain importance Suggested Roles: Barbarian - not available as a player race. Old Ones The old ones, or ancients, are a people who have long since vanished from the land of Fables Political: None, they are a memory. It is said once, their empire spanned the whole of Fables, and beyond. Homes: The ruins of their places dot the land, often seen as a corner, or a door made of some material seemingly half-stone, half-metal and inscribed with runes. Few would dare venture into them, tho they are said to hold fabulous treasure and magic, they are also guarded by powers unknown to the world. Culture: Virtually nothing is known of the ancient culture, tho many of their artefacts survive to this day. The most powerful magical artefacts are always of ancient design. They are feared, as they are said to be haunted by the malignant spirits of these ancient wizards. Skills: Magic Size: Normal Famous For: Being gone, thank goodness. Age: Not known, tho naturally people say they lived great long lives. Language: Only their written language has survived, and few if any study it. Ironically, their spoken language is said to be the arcane words of spell users. Military: They held the world in an empire. Some of the races in Fable today were their slaves and pets. Animals: The things that protect the deep places and ruins of the old ones are less animals and more like monsters, with hideous powers and appearance. Magic: The magic of the old ones was incalculable.. Trivia/Interaction *Most folk in the lands drink a magical drink called Grog in the morning and through the day, which makes one live longer, and grow stronger and more ambitious. Grog shops dot the kingdom. * Himmel, Hoggles, Dwarves are all from one race. * Elves are Faery mingled with Men * It is said that somewhere there is a Naraid oracle, within a Sigesfur village. * There are kruge legends of the return of the Old Ones, whom they call the foretold, and how they shall lead them in a great war. The Owl Clan, specifically, waits to serve this glorious cause.